Chapter Twenty

Ryan's Pov

The dress clung to her curves in ways that made my throat tighten. Her bare legs were on display, and the fabric barely covered her, teasing just enough to drive a man insane. My wolf growled, his possessiveness flaring.

I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay even. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “This doesn’t suit you.”

Her brows furrowed. “What? But…”

“You should get something better,” I interrupted, my tone firmer than I intended.

She hesitated, clearly unsure whether to argue or not. Finally, she sighed and turned back toward the dressing room. That’s when I saw it, faint but unmistakable, marks on the back of her thigh, just under the hem of the dress.

My blood ran cold.

“Wait,” I said, my voice low and dangerous.

Aurora froze, turning slightly to look at me.

“Who did this to you?” I asked, my tone sharp.

Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “It’s nothing”

“Don’t lie to me,” I growled, stepping closer. “Who did this to you, Aurora?”

Her lips trembled as she tried to avoid my gaze.

“Talk,” I demanded, my voice softer but no less insistent.

Finally, she whispered, “It was my uncle… Marcus. And Greg.”

The names hit me like a punch to the gut, and my wolf roared in fury. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to lash out at the nearest object.

“They hurt you,” I said, my voice dangerously calm.

Aurora nodded, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

I took a deep breath, trying to reign in the storm inside me. But one thing was clear, those men wouldn’t get away with this. Not while I was alive.

“Come here,” I said softly, holding out my hand.

Aurora hesitated, but then she stepped forward, her small hand slipping into mine.

“You’re safe with me,” I told her, my voice firm, steady, even though inside I was anything but. “No one will ever hurt you again.

“I’ll deal with them.”

Her grip on my hand tightened, but her voice was fragile when she said, “Please, don’t go near them. Promise me. For anything.” She paused, her words cutting deeper than I expected.

That made my blood boil. The thought that she’d been conditioned to think she wasn’t worth fighting for, that her safety came at the expense of someone else’s life, made me want to destroy Marcus and Greg even more. But I swallowed my rage, forced myself to keep calm for her sake. I was trying to get her to trust me, and losing my temper wouldn’t help.

“All right,” I said, my voice softer now. “But you’re with me now. And I’ll make sure you’re taken care of.”

She nodded slightly, releasing my hand, and we moved on with the shopping. I told her to get more casual wear and shoes. She refused at first, shaking her head as if she didn’t deserve it.

“No room for argument,” I said firmly. “You do as I say. I’m your boss, remember? That means you listen to me.”

Her lips curved into the smallest smile, and I couldn’t help but notice how much it transformed her face. “Okay, boss,” she teased lightly, then went back to browsing.

By the time we got to the cashier, the total came to $10,000.

Aurora froze. Her eyes widened, and she immediately started shaking her head. “No, no, no. That’s too much. We’re taking some of these back. I can’t—”

I stopped her mid-sentence, a grin tugging at my lips. “Aurora, $10,000 is nothing.”

She stared at me like I’d just spoken in a foreign language. “Nothing?” she echoed, her voice almost a whisper. “No. I can’t… This is insane.”

I placed a hand gently on her shoulder to calm her. “Chill. I’ve got this.”

Her mouth opened to protest again, but I’d already handed over my card. She just stood there, watching me, speechless, as the transaction went through.

As we left, the driver helped load the bags into the trunk. I turned to Aurora, motioning for her to get into the car. But she suddenly stopped, her hand flying to her mouth.

“Aurora?” I asked, stepping closer. Her body swayed, and before I could say anything else, she started to collapse.

I caught her just in time, her weight light against my arms. Her face was pale, her breathing shallow.

“Take us to my house. Now,” I barked at the driver, cradling her as I climbed into the car.

When we arrived, I carried her up to my penthouse, my mind racing. I laid her gently on my bed, careful not to disturb her further. I’d already called the doctor, and she was there waiting when we arrived.

Dr. Shirley worked quickly, her professionalism unmatched as always. After a thorough examination, she turned to me with a calm but serious expression.

“She’s exhausted. Severely stressed. She hasn’t been eating or resting properly. What she needs now is a full 24 hours of uninterrupted rest. After that, she can start recovering bit by bit.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

Once Dr. Shirley left, I sat beside Aurora, watching her as she slept. For two hours, she didn’t stir. Her face looked so peaceful, so vulnerable, and yet I couldn’t stop thinking about the marks on her body, the pain she must have endured.

When she finally woke, her eyes fluttered open, and she blinked at me in confusion.

“Ryan?” she said softly. “What… what happened?”

“You fainted,” I told her, my voice gentler than I’d intended. “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard. You need to rest.”

She tried to sit up, but I placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. “No. Stay still.”

She hesitated, then sank back into the pillows. “Why… why are you doing all this for me?” she asked, her voice filled with genuine confusion.

I didn’t have an answer I could give her, not the full truth, anyway. So I simply said, “Because you deserve it.”

Her expression was unreadable, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to respond but couldn’t find the words. I had no idea what she was thinking, but the silence between us felt heavy and almost fragile.

Finally, I cleared my throat. “I’ll order us some food,” I said softly. “You need to eat.”

Aurora nodded without a word, her gaze lowering to her hands clasped tightly in her lap.

I grabbed my phone and scrolled through options. “What would you like? Anything?”

She glanced up hesitantly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll have whatever you’re having.”

“Pizza, then,” I decided. “And juice.”

She nodded again, the corner of her lips twitching into a faint smile. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

The food arrived within thirty minutes, and I watched her carefully as the delivery person handed me the boxes. When I set the food on the table, Aurora reached out cautiously, her movements unsure until she took her first bite.

And then something shifted.

She devoured the pizza with such eagerness, like she hadn’t eaten in days, and I realized she probably hadn’t. It was... peaceful, in a strange way, watching her eat. There was something comforting about it, like I was doing something right for once.

“You like it?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.

She nodded quickly, her mouth too full to speak at first. “It’s good,” she said after swallowing, her cheeks flushed, probably embarrassed at how fast she was eating.

“Good.”

We ate in relative silence after that, the only sounds in the room coming from the rustling of the pizza box and her sipping her juice.

When she was done, I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Aurora,” I began, my tone serious now, “you didn’t fill in your account details on the form for payroll. How do you expect to get paid?”

She froze, her eyes darting away from mine. “I... I don’t have an account,” she admitted quietly.

I blinked, caught off guard. “You don’t have a bank account?”

She shook her head.

“Okay,” I said after a moment, deciding not to push. “We’ll fix that tomorrow. I’ll take you to open one.”

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide. “No, I can do it myself. I don’t need you to—”

“You’re coming with me,” I interrupted, my voice firm.

She frowned, her brows knitting together. “I don’t want to bother you. And besides, I’m supposed to be your assistant, not... whatever this is.”

I leaned back, a small smirk tugging at my lips. “You’re still my assistant. But right now, you’re also my priority.”

She looked at me, her eyes narrowing slightly as if she didn’t quite believe me. “I don’t understand why you’re doing all this,” she said softly, shaking her head.

“Because I can,” I replied simply, though the truth was far more complicated.

She sighed, clearly exasperated, but she didn’t argue further. Instead, she leaned back against the couch, her exhaustion evident.

After a moment, I spoke again, my voice calm but resolute. “By the way, you’re not coming on the business trip this weekend.”

Her head shot up, surprise flashing in her eyes. “What? Why not?”

“You need to rest, Aurora,” I said. “After everything you’ve been through, it’s not up for debate. You’re staying here.”

“But I’m fine,” she insisted, sitting up straighter. “I just dealt with a little stress. I can handle it.”

“No,” I said firmly, though my resolve wavered for a moment.

“I'm coming with you, I need to earn my salary, please sir,” she said.

“Okay.” was all I said.

I knew she needed rest, but the thought of having her close was too tempting to resist. Reluctantly, I agreed to let her join me, all the while promising myself to ensure she gets the care she needs during our time away.